Returning to Savannah for the second time in two months, Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson campaigned in Chatham County on Monday as part of a five-stop statewide tour ahead of the Nov. 3 general election. Gov. Brian Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp joined Jackson at Sheltair Aviation.
Georgia Speaker of the House Jon Burns opened the event by calling the governor's race a critical contest and warning against policies he described as socialist.
“It’s not working anywhere in America or around the world,” said Burns of socialism. “It will not work in Georgia, and we're going to make sure that it doesn't have an opportunity to get a foothold here. We're going to do that by doing something - and that's electing Rick Jackson.”
Kemp added
that his decision to accompany Jackson on the tour is simple - he wants to win.
“We've had so many good things happen in the state,” said Kemp. “You think about this area down in the southeast corner of our state, around the Savannah region and the economic opportunity that people are seeing. We got to make sure we keep that going and leadership matters.”
Data Centers
Asked about data center development, Jackson said local communities should have significant input on whether projects move forward. While he said communities seeking the economic benefits of such developments should be able to pursue them, he added that he would oppose projects in places where residents do not want them.
“I would say that if the community wants to do it, that's fine,” said Jackson. “If a community doesn't want it, I'll defend them from not having it. But if they want an economic benefit, I'll negotiate it and make sure everyone gets a benefit and they still have control of that.”
‘Generational Election’
Burns described the 2026 gubernatorial race as a "generational election," arguing that the outcome will shape the state's future for years to come. Jackson argued that Republican leadership has helped drive Georgia's economic growth and warned against a change in direction at the Capitol.
“Right now, we're going in the right direction and what's at stake is that we cannot have Georgia run like Atlanta was run during Mayor Bottoms’ tenure,” said Jackson. “Safety is number one. If you want to have conservative values like Georgia has been doing and the progress we have been making, we have to keep the same team on the field. We cannot have California running the state of Georgia.”
Kemp's final months
With Georgia's next governor set to take office in January 2027, Kemp has roughly three months remaining in office. Kemp said his administration remains focused on finalizing several economic development initiatives before he leaves office but declined to discuss specific.
Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Rick Jackson talks campaign, data centers in Savannah Monday
